Unitary flexible package

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a unique new unitary package format for chewing gum and other confections that is squeezable by the consumer for direct dispensing of the product. The invention relates to a new packaging form for use with confections. In particular, the present invention relates to a unitary flexible portable package designed for easy dispensing of chewing gum and other confectionery products.

PRIORITY DATA

The present patent application is a 371 of International Application Ser. No. PCT/US13/72825 filed Dec. 3, 2013, which claims benefit from Ser. No. 61/732,703 filed Dec. 3, 2012, now expired. The applications listed above are incorporated by reference from as if entirely restated herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a new packaging form for use with confections. In particular, the present invention relates to a unitary flexible portable package designed for easy dispensing of chewing gum and other confectionery products.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In general, packaging of confectionery products provides the consumers with a convenient package that is easy to use and delivers a fresh and enjoyable product for consumption. In more recent years, the packaging of products has been used to provide a unique experience for the consumer that fits a consumer's lifestyle throughout various occasions.

It is desirable to present an attractive and distinctive package, while at the same time being fully functional and appealable to the consumer for carrying. Packaging must also serve practical needs such as keeping the products from being damaged during shipping, keeping the products fresh, and in some cases providing a receptacle for retaining the product for continued consumption either during a one time occasion, or over a prolonged period of time. Each of these considerations and factors impact the experience that the consumers have when enjoying chewing gum or other confections, hence packaging is an important component of the consumers overall pleasure and satisfaction with a product.

It is also desirable to provide a package that is convenient for use as a portable package, such that for example, the package will fit conveniently in an individual's shirt or pants pocket for “on the go” use.

Squeeze-like containers for use with small objects are known, such as those described and shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,520,467; 3,063,487, 3,176,743; 3,280,870; and 3,426,814. These squeeze containers are traditionally made of various materials including fabrics, rubber or rubber-like material, or injection molded plastic, thereby providing a flexible package that is relatively pliable and incorporates a seal mechanism in order to retain various small objects. Moreover, additional seal type members, such as reinforcing bands, metallic or molded locking mechanisms, or other additional/secondary components have been integrated or added to ensure that the package may readily seal objects within the package forms.

Injection molding has been the traditional method used to form these squeeze and go type packages in order to form a desired package that delivers a fully operational package that would squeeze to open, have integrated closure mechanisms and is traditionally refillable with products for continued use over an extended period of time. Each of these types of packages is cost prohibitive for use in connection with confections. Moreover, the use of injection molded technology delivers a package having a relatively pliable wall with a relative thickness that provides a bulkier package. More specifically, thermoforming delivers a package wall wherein the wall has a relative thickness of less than 1.5 mm. Alternatively, injection molding results in a package wall having a relative thickness of greater than 0.75 mm-4 mm.

Accordingly, there is a need to develop a cost effective squeezable package that has enhanced functionality and performance, but is easily portable and discrete for enjoying consumable products.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a unique new unitary package format for chewing gum and other confections that is squeezable by the consumer for direct dispensing of the product. As described in more detail below, the package of the present invention further provides features for enabling optimal opening and dispensing of the product, while providing convenience for the consumers.

Each of these features and various aspects of the present invention are shown in the attached Figures as shown in the accompanying pages. All of the provided Figures (FIGS. 1-17) are exemplary in nature.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the package of the present invention is comprised of a rigid unitary body. The thermoformed package is rigid to the extent that the wall is thin enough but structured to provide sufficient protection to prevent product breakage. The rigidity of the package is unique such that it provides a thin-walled body that houses the confections, but may be readily disposed of following use due to the economical construction of the package. The body of the package is formed through the combination of walls (i.e., panels) that are thermoformed to the desired shape (as discussed in more detail below). The thermoformed walls are then sealed together to provide a hermetically sealed package having a unitary body (comprised of multiple faces) for housing confectionery products. The seal extends around the package to ensure that the package is completely sealed from the environment. Various types of techniques may be used to seal thermoformed components together, for example using heat to seal the walls together. The heat may be applied through various methods including but not limited to the application of direct heat, ultrasonic, or induction. Due to the hermetically sealed nature of the package, the confectionery products do not need to be wrapped, and individual pieces such as pellets or individual pieces of confections may be disposed in the cavity of the body of the package.

The thermoforming of the body further provides a cost effective manner compared to injection molding of plastics, or the integration of multi-components to form a disposable package. Moreover, the thermoformed package further provides an opening or port (upon the removal of the flange member) that is biased towards closing or being in a closed orientation (i.e., no external force is necessary to close the package) verses an open configuration (where external force must be exerted to open the package).

In one embodiment, the present invention is a package having a body defining a cavity for holding edible product. The body further includes an opening flange that is removable for access to the cavity through an opening port. The body of the package further comprises at least one bend initiator, wherein the bend initiator protrudes from a side wall of the body in an outward direction. An engagement notch may be further integrated into the body of the package for identifying where the package should be squeezed for opening.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, as shown the accompanying Figures, the package includes a body defined by side walls (or panels) coupled together having two closed ends. The side walls of the body further define a cavity or receptacle for holding edible products, such as for example, chewing gum pieces or other confections. The body of the package further includes a top portion and a bottom portion. The top portion comprises a flange member. At the time of intended use, the flange member may be separated from the rest of the body, thereby providing an open access port to the cavity along line A-A of the body. At least one tear member may be disposed along line A-A to further help in separating the top and bottom portion from one another. Moreover, line A-A may be scored, perforated or weakened such that the flange member may be readily separated from the bottom portion of the package body. The edible product disposed in the cavity may then be access through an open access port through the squeezing of the bottom portion of the body, as is discussed in more detail below.

As previously described, an embodiment of the present invention is a thermoformed package. More specifically, as shown the accompanying FIGS. 1-8, the package 10 includes a body 12 defined by side walls 14, 16 (or panels) coupled together and sealed around the entire package, such that the package has two ends 18, 20. A seam 21 is further provided around the perimeter of the package. The size (i.e., width) of the seam may vary depending on the material and shape of the body, and may range from 2 mm-8 mm, preferably from 2 mm-4 mm. Alternatively, the seam may be sized with a thickness to retain the products within the cavity and provide a hermetically sealed package.

The side walls of the body further define a cavity or receptacle 50 for holding the edible products. The body of the package further includes top portion 22 and bottom portion 24. The top portion 22 comprises flange member 26. At the time of intended use, the flange member 26 may be separated from the bottom portion 24 of body 12, thereby providing an open access port (O) (as shown in FIGS. 8A-8C) to the cavity 50 along line A-A of the body. The body may further incorporate at least one tear member 32 disposed along line A-A. Moreover, line A-A may be scored, perforated or weakened such that the flange member 26 may be readily separated from the bottom portion 24 of the package body. The bottom portion 24 may be further separated in a transition portion 28 and a shoulder portion 30. The edible product disposed in the cavity may then be access through an open access port (O) through the squeezing of the bottom portion 24 of the body 12. The edible products may be readily dispensed from the package once opened along line A-A.

As shown in FIGS. 1-8 and 13-17, the body of the package may be longer than it is wide, such that the height (H) of the body is greater than the width (W), such as for example a 2:1 ratio. In alternate configurations, the body of the package may have different shapes or sizes to accommodate a variety of edible products (C). Alternatively, the height (H) and width (W) of the body may have a 1:1 ratio, as shown in FIGS. 9-12. The optimal configuration and size parameters of the preferred packaged are those wherein the height and width are relatively proportioned and sized that the package may be easily held in one hand once opened for dispensing and portable within a pocket.

The body of the package may further be sized and shaped to accommodate a cavity of either the same or different shape, as long as a sufficient seam (i.e., seal) is present and additional elements can be integrated within the package, as discussed in more detail below.

As shown in FIGS. 3-4, the cavity 50 includes a depth (d) (comprised of d₁ and d₂) that is sufficient to accommodate a variety of edible products, while still enabling the package to be pocketable for discrete use and dispensing of product. In FIGS. 3-4, the cavity 50 of the body 12 is formed wherein each of the side walls or panels 14, 16 include a projected semi-oval or cylindrical-like shape. As a result, when the two walls or panels are coupled together, an oval-like or cylindrical-like shaped cavity is formed. Moreover the cavity of the package, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, has oval or eclipse-like shaped cross-sections. As shown in FIGS. 9-12, a circular type body 112 is shown, that further provides a cavity 150 having a spherical-like shape.

In accordance with further embodiments of the present invention, the body of the package may have alternative shapes, including but not limited to oval, semi-oval, round, square, faceted or any other type of configuration or shape that can be thermoformed. In alternate configurations, the package (i.e., dispenser) of the present invention may be formed having different faces, such that the body of the package is formed having multiple wall members coupled together to form a multi-faced unitary package body. This type of package configuration would then form a unique body and cavity, such that cross-section of the cavity would be triangular, square-like or other geometrically shaped designs. These shapes and configurations are more easily manufactured through the use of thermoforming.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the package further includes at least one bend initiator 60. The bend initiator 60 is provided to aid in projecting the side walls 14, 16 in an outward direction, resulting in a larger opening or port (O) being formed, as shown in FIGS. 8A-8C. The bend initiators 60 _((1,2)) may be sized in accordance with the design of the package body 12, such that the bend initiator 60 _((1,2)) projects no greater then ½ the depth (d) of the cavity 50 from the longitudinal or central axis (l_(y)) of the body 12 of the package 10. In an alternate configuration, the bend initiators 60 ₁ and 60 ₂ on each wall of the body may be sized, such that each of the bend initiators project no greater than d₁ and d₂ of the cavity, respectively Contrary to other types of bend means used within injection molding, the bend initiator 60 of the present invention is integrated into the thermoformed material and extends outwards from the side wall to aid in projecting the side walls outward.

In a preferred embodiment, at least one bend initiator is integrated within each of the side walls 14, 16, such that as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, two bend initiators 60 _((1,2)) are integrated within the body 12 of the package 10. As shown in the Figures, the bend initiator 60 is an outwardly projecting integrated portion of the side wall disposed within a transition portion 28 of the bottom portion 24 of the body 12 and extending perpendicular from line A-A of the body through the transition portion 28 to the top of the cavity 50. In one embodiment, the bend initiator 60 is positioned along the longitudinal axis of the body, hence the bend initiators are positioned in a relatively central position (along a central axis l_(y)) of the side walls or cavity, as shown in FIG. 3. As a result, the central positioning of the bend initiators on each of the side walls enables a uniform transfer of force when the package is squeezed for opening, and optimizes the size of the opening with relative ease.

Alternatively, in another embodiment, the bend initiators may be moved off-set of the central axis (l_(y)) of the body of the package. Moreover, each of the bend initiators on each of the side walls may be off-set in opposite directions, to further assist in opening the package. Depending on the number and position of bend initiators integrated within the package, the opening may take the form of different shapes, sizes or other configurations when squeezed upon opening. In accordance with one embodiment, multiple bend initiators may be integrated within the transition portion of the bottom portion of the body.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of engagement notches 70 are provided to further facilitate opening of the package once the opening flange is removed. The engagement notches 70 are positioned on the sealed edges of the body of the package. The engagement notches may be any size or shape and further serve as an indicator to the consumer where to squeeze the package for optimal opening and dispensing of the product upon removal of the opening flange. As shown in the attached figures and in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention, the engagement notches 70 are positioned within the bottom portion 24 of the body 12. More specifically, the engagement notches 70 may be positioned between the central axis (3) of the body and extend into the shoulder region 30 of the bottom portion 24. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the shoulder region 30 of the body 12 includes the curved portion of the cavity. For optimal opening performance, the engagement notches 70 will not extend beyond the center point of the shoulder region of the body, as indicated by line S-S on FIG. 2. Accordingly, the area between central axis (l_(x)) and the center of the shoulder portion 30 line S-S is referred to as the engagement region 72 of the body 24 of the package. Depending on the design and number of side walls combined to form the body of the package, at least two engagement notches may be integrated into the package within the engagement region 72.

As previously discussed and shown in the accompanying Figures, once the opening flange is removed, the bottom portion of the package is retained. The consumer squeezes the engagement notches on either side of the package, therein transferring the opening force to the bend indicators and opening the package along line A-A, as can be seen in FIGS. 7A/7B and 8. The opening (O), as shown in FIGS. 8A-8C, is sized for dispensing solid confections (C). In particular, the opening (O) is continuous with the cavity 50 and provides an unobstructed opening since the bend indicators project in an outward direction from the side walls. As a result, the unobstructed opening allows for easy dispensing and an “easy pour” of the products from the cavity.

As shown in FIGS. 9-12, an alternate configuration is represented of the present invention. The elements of the present invention shown in FIG. 9-12, are further identified with the same numbering in FIGS. 1-8, except through the designation of 1XX (i.e, body 112, top portion 122, bottom portion 124, etc.).

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the package is formed from plastic materials that can be easily thermoformed. Any standard thermoforming material may be used in creating the package of the present invention. More specifically, materials including but not limited to polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride or low density polyethylene may be used. Additional coatings or other materials may be applied to the plastic either prior to thermoforming or after to achieve desirable barrier properties necessary for using the package with confections. This may be particularly important to the extent that no further packaging is provided and flexible package is used as the only packaging material in offering the product to consumers.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the package may be transparent (i.e., the material used to form the package is clear). In another embodiment, the package may be colored, include embossments, surface enhancements and aesthetics (i.e., texturing), or other characteristics incorporated within the package to add to the visual appeal of the package. In addition, the side walls of the thermoformed package may be printed on directly to incorporate branding or messaging related to the edible product contained within the package.

In another embodiment, the package may further incorporate a secondary retaining member. The secondary retaining member may further be provided to seal the package and may include various means known by those in the industry, such as the use of adhesives, hook/loop type mechanisms, snap-fit members, or other type of closure and sealing members. Moreover, a plurality of retaining members may be integrated within the package. In the event that a secondary retaining member (s) is integrated within the package, it is important that such member does not impede the dispensing of the products within the cavity.

In another embodiment, an aperture may be provided that would enable the package to be readily attached to a purse, bag, keychain, or any other type of hook or loop for transporting the package.

Moreover, secondary packaging, such as for example but not limited to, paperboard sleeves, flexible films, or other materials in various configurations may be used in connection with the present invention for the purposes of providing additional branding and messaging the consumers at point of purchase. Moreover, secondary packaging may be used in the event that additional barrier priorities are needed for the edible products.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the packages may be connected and/or formed together to create a bandoleer-like configuration of multiple packages. As shown in FIGS. 13-17, the bandoleer 200 of multiple packages 10 provides a unique method of providing multi-pack configurations of products. The packages may be separated between each of the packages along lines P-P, hence resulting in individual packages for consumption. The features of the package, as discussed in detail previously, would be incorporated within the bandoleer of the multi-package. An alternate bandoleer 200 may be formed of the exemplary package 100 shown in FIGS. 9-12. Similarly, bandoleers may be formed from various configured packages as contemplated within the scope of the invention. The bandoleer configuration may further be incorporated within additional secondary packaging for dispensing of individual packages.

The present invention further contemplates the ability to merchandise the package format in various ways, as is consistent with traditional merchandising methods and incorporate new thermoformed features that would enable new merchandising opportunities.

One embodiment of the present invention may further include an aperture that may be integrated or thermoformed within the package for display means. As with standard flow wrap packaging, an aperture may be integrated within the package (such as for example into the opening flange) for merchandising of the product on a peg or other type of display means. Alternatively, a protrusion (such as a ball-like protrusion) may extend from the body of the package and be received within a rail or some other type of system for a novel method of displaying and merchandising the package.

It will be understood that the shape and size of package may be varied to accommodate different types, sizes and quantities of consumable products. It will also be understood that terms such as “front,” “back,” “top,” and “bottom” are used herein and within the Figures for convenient reference and description, and are not intended to be limiting in any way. For example, the “front” and “back” of package may be interchanged if desired.

While particular elements, embodiments, and applications of the present invention have been shown and described, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto because modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teaching. It is therefore contemplated by the appended claims to cover such modifications and incorporate those features which come within the spirit and scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A package comprising: a package body defining a cavity for holding edible products, wherein the body includes an opening flange that is removable for access to the cavity through an opening port, the body further comprising at least one bend initiator, wherein the bend initiator protrudes from a side wall of the body in an outward direction.
 2. The package according to claim 1, wherein the body further includes at least an engagement notch.
 3. The package of any of the preceding claims, wherein the body is thermoformed.
 4. The package of any of the preceding claims, wherein the body comprises at least two side walls.
 5. The package of claim 4, wherein first wall includes a first bend initiator and the second side wall includes a second bend initiator.
 6. A package assembly comprising: a plurality of packages coupled together in a side-by-side array, wherein each of the packages comprise a package body defining a cavity for holding edible products, wherein the body includes an opening flange that is removable for access to the cavity through an opening port, the body further comprising at least one bend initiator, wherein the bend initiator protrudes from a side wall of the body in an outward direction. 